Oil Drilling Safety Rules Improperly Issued?

On Tuesday, October 19, 2010, Federal Judge Martin Feldman issued a ruling that the Interior Department improperly issued new safety rules after the moratorium that was placed on deep water drilling following the Gulf oil spill disaster.

Regarding the rules imposed in a June 8 notice to offshore operators, the October 19 ruling by U.S. District Judge Feldman said that the those rules were not enforceable because the government failed to first solicit public comment before issuing them.

In September of this year the Interior Department announced it was issuing new guidelines to replace the safety rules issued on June 8.

The Department of the Interior imposed a second ban on deep water drilling on July 12. In June, Judge Feldman struck down the first moratorium but he hasn’t decided whether or not the second moratorium imposed on July 12 was justified.

Earlier this month in October, the second moratorium was lifted by the Obama administration.